OK, I went out of town with the Sportage. I stopped at a station and got some gas. Soon after, I picked up a intermittent miss.

It acts just like water. It will miss any time the tank is sloshed... turning, darting, pulling uphill, taking off, etc... and I can make it miss really bad by "getting on it" when it misses.

I was certain it was water. I ran the tank near empty, then filled here locally and put some stuff in the tank. It did good for a while, but started back again... and now the tank is near empty again.

I'm starting to wonder now....

Any of you guys have a proven method to get rid of the water, or rule out that it is water?

I'd like to cure it or rule it out ASAP.

The gasline anti freeze we use up here has a water remover in it. So does Seafoam, you can also buy water removers as a stand alone product but almost all gas treatment/fuel additives I've seen/used contain a water remover. Just go to a gas station or auto parts store and see whats on the shelf!

Seafoam was what I had in mind since I have read so many good reviews on it. I just wasn't sure if it had anything in it to help with water or not.

Plus, if it's not water, I don't know what to think next with these symptoms/patterns.

Seafoam is a great product, if you thin it's just water, then add 1/3 of a can to a full tank and run it thru. When it misses are you getting a CEL?

Yeah, I got the CEL, but I think I made it come on by "getting on it" hard when it started missing... hoping if it was water it would pull suck it on through and out... That's when it came on anyways... and I don't know the proceedure to check the codes, as I have never thrown one before to need to know.

What year sporty? If it's a OBDI car 95 and before you can pull the code using a jumper, for OBDII, 96 onwards you will need a scanner, you can also get it scanned at almost any major US parts store.

The CEL is the key, so get the code read, it could tell you the problem straight away, it may be something as simple as a faulty gas cap or blocked vent pipe, as you said it only happens when the tank is low.

OK... I will try to get it scanned tomorrow if I have a chance... or ASAP if not.

I bet I get a multiple cylinder misfire code or something generic like that... LOL...

if its water just chuck some metho down the filler that will soak up the water

My guess is you got a dose of the old "50:50", gas mixed with water from one of your stops. best bet would be to drop the tank and wash the crud out of it. It's amazing how much crap can accumulate over time. Buy two fuel filters and change the first after cleaning the tank and the second after 2-3 tankfulls to make sure the lines are clear of water.

You can go the cheap and nasty way but you will only end up washing the crap into your cyls. Far better to get rid of it properly for the expense of an afternoon and about a quart of gas.

ANd if you drain the tank..this tank has a drain plug...check the drain plug seal as the aluminum original corrodes away and eventually leaks. Replace it with copper or teflon/nylon.

By the way, no miracles, methanol is a solvent of water into gas...and is THE key ingredient of all magic potions.